Pages

June 22, 2011

G74: Padres 5, Red Sox 1 (7½, rain)

The Yankees (43-29) beat the Reds this afternoon in the first game of their day-night doubleheader, so they and the Red Sox (44-30) are currently tied for first place. (Update: New York lost the nightcap, so Boston has a one half-game lead.)

6:10 PM: The game is in its fourth rain delay, with the Red Sox preparing to bat in the bottom of the eighth. It has been raining all afternoon, sometimes quite hard. The start of the game was delayed 35 minutes. The two earlier in-game delays came in the top of the third (38 minutes) and in the middle of the fifth (31 minutes).

Lackey (3.1-4-5-4-4, 83) had a rough fourth inning, allowing two singles, two walks (one with the bases loaded), hitting two batters (one with the bases loaded), and throwing a wild pitch (with the bases loaded). Lackey's portion of the inning went: BB, HBP, 1B, K, BB (run), HBP (run), WP (run), 1B (run). The Blamethrower may say later today that the ball was watery and wet. He's right, but that is far from the whole story of that inning. He finished the day having thrown 48 strikes and 35 balls.

Adrian Gonzalez is 4-for-4, with one RBI. Dustin Pedroia has singled twice and walked. ... Boston squandered a bases loaded/one out situation in the first when David Ortiz grounded into a double play. Kevin Youkilis GIDP with two on to end the seventh.

In three starts since coming off the disabled list, Lackey has a 5.03 ERA (19.2 innings, 17 hits, 4 walks, 15 strikeouts). Boston has won all three games: 6-3, 16-4, 10-4.

Like all of the Padres' starters, Richard has received very little run support (see RS/GS). In his nine losses, San Diego has averaged only 2.3 runs. Richard has a 4.18 ERA in his last six starts, but the team has lost all six games: 4-0, 2-1, 4-3, 3-0, 2-1, 6-5.

12:04 PMThe tarp is down but the gates are open and expectations are that the Red Sox will be able to play through the raindrops.

12:45 PMThe tarp is still down and the rain is a little more steady. Given that this is the last game the Padres will play at Fenway this season and both teams are off tomorrow, they will wait a good long time to try and get this one in. Like all night.

[Dustin Pedroia] was asked last night why he’s been walking so much. Here’s what he [jokingly] said: “No protection. No protection. We gave [Gonzalez] 154 million dollars and I can’t get any protection. This is unbelievable. I don’t care how hot he’s hitting or if he’s hitting .360. I need somebody back there protecting me. I don’t want to walk. Are you kidding me?”

But the O at the end is also larger than the letters that precede it, etc. I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about the top/bottom line, regardless that they start wide, go thin, then widen again.

If you're calling that S "capital" because it's bigger, than the O at the end is capital too.

As bad as John Lackey is, I don't hate him. He doesn't even make me mad. It's probably because it's not like he's "getting away" with anything. I mean, everyone knows he's doing poorly and everyone is down on him to the point where I feel kind of bad for him.

It's the things in this world that are truly awful--things that I feel like I'm the only person on earth who sees their awfulness--they're what deserve the rage.

The longest known delay, which ended in postponement was on August 12, 1990 in Chicago, between the White Sox and Rangers. It was delayed 7 hours, 23 minutes before being called off and rescheduled to be played in Arlington 5 days later. It was scheduled for 1:35 and was called off at 8:58, having never started.

The longest known delay during a game that was completed was October 3, 1999 in Milwaukee, between the Brewers and Reds. There was a 5 hour, 45 minute delay, prior to the start of the game, which was scheduled for 3:05, started at 8:50, and finished at 11:26. It was reported only about 200, of the 55,000 fans remained at the end.

rogers was giving us nesn for the entire delay, then they suddenly gave us the green "rain delay" screen for a few minutes -- and we missed cameron's entire AB and the first 3 pitches of ellsbury's AB. and nesn misses ball 4.

WTF, indeed?

it's like forgetting how to breathe. you have to be a real fuckup to do that.